Part II of an interview with NFL Draft analyst, and former scout and front office executive, Russ Lande.
We’ll let him give you his scouting report in his own words. How gracious of us!
… “The reality is that there’s a 20 percent chance Jake Locker is there for them in the second round [Here is more on Locker and the other QBs]. Based on taking guys who flash big plays, I could see the kid from Nevada [Colin Kaepernick] being a guy Mike is in love with. He’s Cam Newton in terms of pure tools, but he didn’t have big-school notoriety. If you’re looking for a guy with great flashes and talent, Colin is that guy and he could be sitting there in the second round.
“But he’s a two-year project. The thing that this kid brings, he’s close to a 4.0 GPA. He was never in trouble. He’s just a tremendous kid. He’s got all the intelligence and character stuff you want. He has a phenomenal arm. He’s very big and athletic and can throw it a mile He doesn’t make mistakes.”
… “What they’ll miss out in the third and fourth rounds is depth at inside linebacker and some guys that aren’t elite edge guys but who are good solid guys that you can get in these rounds, like [Central Florida’s] Bruce Miller or [Connecticut’s] Lawrence Wilson, edge rush guys. And there are some secondary nose tackles like [Mississippi’s] Jerrell Powe or [Clemson’s] Jarvis Jenkins that could help them build that defense. They need to improve that defense, no question.”
… “I’m not a big fan of taking receivers in the first round, especially when you don’t know how your quarterback situation will work out. I would shy away from it. But A. J. Green is a pretty special kid. He’s one of those guys who can be an elite receiver very quickly. Very few can step in quickly, but he’s one of them…I like Julio Jones, but he’s a little below Green. He’s not as explosive and drops more balls than he should. He has very good hands, but loses his focus at times and lets the ball get into his body. I wouldn’t be thrilled if they take Jones there. If Green is there I see no problem taking him at 10 because the value is ridiculous.”
… “Andy Dalton is a guy if he’s there in the second would fit a lot of what Mike likes. He’s an athletic kid and has intangibles, but I don’t know if he has that big arm and he loves those big-arm kids. But he would love Dalton intangible-wise. The sleeper could be Ponder. He’s as good an athlete as any quarterback in the draft; he has off-the-chart intelligence and off-the-chart intangibles. In 2009 he had a good arm. But with all the injuries this year he didn’t look as good. I could see him being the type of guy Shanahan gambles on in the second round….But there were a bunch of games where he had a chance to lead his team to victory and he didn’t. The only issues is, does Mike feel comfortable with his arm strength? This guy has an average NFL arm.”
… “I’d be very surprised if Gabbert or Newton fell. It’s not if one of the top 3, 4 or 5 teams don’t want them it’s that so many teams want a quarterback. If one of them makes it to 4, you’ll see four or five teams on the phone trying to trade up. They’ll be gone in the first five or six picks.”
… “Newton is what he is. I wouldn’t take him. He played in that spread and he has to do a ton of work on his fundamentals and mechanics. When I looked at Alex Smith, you wouldn’t find a guy that worked harder. He didn’t have Cam talent, but he had enough talent to be a starter and he never made it. Vince Young never made it. And Tebow … they’re already ready to give up on him. Newton is a remarkable player but what scares me: Was he drastically better than Tebow or Vince Young? Vince was a Hall of Famer in terms of college football and people have thrown him under the bus because he failed. Yes Newton was great, but it was only one year. He didn’t have to come back for a second year to face teams that could game plan [better] for what he did. Young had to do that for a couple years.
“There are a lot of question marks about Cam and that’s why I wouldn’t take him. But some people tell me I’m crazy. I have one good friend who has three or four Super Bowl rings and he said he’ll give Cam his highest grade he’s ever given any player. He’s giving him a perfect grade. This is a guy I trust and our opinions so rarely differ. It just tells me how crazy this business is.”
… “If Tyron Smith is there, I could see that happening. But I’d be surprised if they’d go offensive tackle back to back. But he’s as good or better than Trent Williams. He’s as athletic and a better technical blocker. But he played below 290 pounds and he played right tackle. Those are red flags. But when you grade him, he’s a special cat on film. I could see them falling in love with him like they did with Williams. He’s an elite athlete, great competitor and he has tremendous strength. You could plug him in at right tackle and if Trent never became a great left tackle you could flip-flop them. Trent is a great talent who you hope becomes more consistent but even at Oklahoma he would dominate guys and then whiff. It’s why some people thought Russell Okung was a better prospect, not in terms of upside but more steady.”
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